The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition, packed with protein and a…

jam and clotted cream, to serve

Method

Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Tip the flour into a large bowl with the salt and baking powder, then mix. Add the butter, then rub in with your fingers until the mix looks like fine crumbs. Stir in the sugar.

Put the milk into a jug and heat in the microwave for about 30 secs until warm, but not hot. Add the vanilla and lemon juice, then set aside for a moment. Put a baking sheet in the oven.

Make a well in the dry mix, then add the liquid and combine it quickly with a cutlery knife – it will seem pretty wet at first. Scatter some flour onto the work surface and tip the dough out. Dredge the dough and your hands with a little more flour, then fold the dough over 2-3 times until it’s a little smoother. Pat into a round tin about 4cm deep.

Take a 5cm cutter (smooth-edged cutters tend to cut more cleanly, giving a better rise) and dip it into some flour. Plunge into the dough, then repeat until you have four scones. You may need to press what’s left of the dough back into a round to cut out another four.

Brush the tops with beaten egg, then carefully place onto the hot baking tray.

Bake for 10 mins until risen and golden on the top. Eat just warm or cold on the day of baking, generously topped with jam and clotted cream. If freezing, freeze once cool. Defrost, then put in a low oven (about 160C/fan140C/gas 3) for a few mins to refresh.

Recipe Tip

Know-how

Adding a squeeze
of lemon juice to
the milk sours it slightly,
mimicking sharp-tasting
buttermilk, often used in
scones but sometimes
tricky to find. The slightly
acidic mix gives a
boost to the raising
agents in the flour and
baking powder.

Recipe Tip

Jane says...

Scones are so quick to
make that my mum would
often emerge with a plateful
before we’d even noticed
she’d gone! I’ve borrowed
her tip of using warm milk,
and added a few tricks of
my own for light scones
that rise every time

Recipe Tip

Towering tall

For toweringly tall scones, always pat the
dough out a bit thicker than you think you
should. I say pat rather than knead because
scones are essentially a sweet soda bread and,
like other soda breads, will become tough
when over-handled. Kick-start the scones’ rise
with a hot baking tray and don’t leave the
dough sitting around. If you like your scones
with lots of juicy fruit, stir 85g plump sultanas
into the mix at the same time as the sugar.

Ads by Google

Comments, questions and tips

I was really looking forward to trying these but disappointment yet again! I’m sure it isn’t the recipe as there are so many positive comments. Has anyone else tried these using a gas oven (my nemesis)? I had to leave them in for an extra 10mins, lovely and brown on the outside but raw inside even after 20 minutes! Any advice please?

Dabdab

24th Oct, 2017

5.05

Having tried a dozen different recipes over many many years, and all the tips going without much success, I was delighted that this recipe turned out great. I brushed tops with a little milk and gave them an extra 3 minutes.
The result was 8 large well risen scones which were light and not at all dry.
Hubby is a scone/cream tea fan and gave them the thumbs up.
I will now stick with this recipe as my tried and tested! Thank you.

weluv2cook

23rd Oct, 2017

5.05

These were lovely and such an easy recipe we will use this recipe all the time we will never use any other.

Gracie-joy

24th Sep, 2017

5.05

Absolutely the easiest scones that I have ever made + the most delicious. They also freeze perfectly. I can't ever see myself using another scone recipe!!

Frankie Bee

31st Aug, 2017

5.05

Brilliant recipe and method. I veganised it (wholebean soya milk and margarine) and I used apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice (does the same thing). The scones were perfect. My other scone attempts have been disasters.

Lovetobake_x

29th Aug, 2017

These scones turned out very nice, moist and tasty.

E11i0tth11114

19th Aug, 2017

5.05

This recipe made the best scones I've ever made! At first I thought that warming up the milk was odd, but it made the dough a lot easier to handle.

Petrolhead75

8th Aug, 2017

3.8

My first attempt at making scones using this recipe, quite pleased with the result, although could probably have done with a few more minutes in the oven, noted for next time, followed recipe to the letter and added raisins

janehumberstone

6th Aug, 2017

5.05

Perfect results every time!

lindamas

16th Jul, 2017

Made these today to take to my mum's to watch the men's tennis final.
Absolutely delicious. Really good texture and flavour. This will be my new go to recipe for scones.

Pages

Hello, is it possible to add cheese to make these into cheese scones? If so, apart from omitting the sugar, how much cheese should I use? Thank you

goodfoodteam

17th Sep, 2017

Thanks for your question. We'd suggest using one of our savoury scone recipes. You could make the following, omitting the Marmite if you prefer not to use it:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2045/cheese-and-marmite-scones

saschlet

12th Feb, 2017

5.05

Can you use white spelt flour as per the SR flour? Will I need extra baking powder?

goodfoodteam

17th Feb, 2017

Thanks for your question. You can use white spelt flour as a substitute. You will need to add baking powder at a ratio of 1tsp per 110g. In this instance, just over 3 tsp is sufficient, plus the extra teaspoon that's included in the recipe.

Spoon and Heels

30th Sep, 2016

Where I live there is no self raising flour. So how much extra baking powder should I add?

goodfoodteam

13th Oct, 2016

Hi there,To make self-raising flour the proportions are 1 tsp baking powder to 110g of plain flour. We suggest making up the amount you need (it might be easier to make 3 ½ times the above and have a bit left over for next time) and then follow the rest of the recipe as above. Hope that helps!

Phoenix Rocks

15th Jun, 2016

Does the milk have to be full fat? Because I've been using semi skimmed and when I mix it with the lemon and the vanilla extract, it becomes lumpy and just generally disgusting.

ateenwhobakes

31st Aug, 2016

Hi! Ive used this recipe a couple of times with semi skimmed milk, the only thing I think could be causing this would be too much lemon juice; a few few drops should be enough to sour the milk.

roseyp

1st Mar, 2016

Do I need to grease the baking tray or line it before putting it in the oven to heat? Thanks

goodfoodteam

28th Apr, 2016

No you don’t need to grease or flour the tray, just heat it in the oven as it is. The burst of heat helps the scones to rise.

Pages

I recommend leaving them in the oven for a bit longer to get the best possible scones and I had to add some milk to the dough because it was a bit dry at the bottom.

E11i0tth11114

19th Aug, 2017

5.05

I needed to add a splash of milk to the dough because it was falling apart on the chopping board. What I did was gather everything I could together on the board, made a little dip in the dough ball, added milk and kneaded it into the rest of the dough.

Manius592

10th Aug, 2017

5.05

I made the scones and like other posters noted that a little longer in the oven is advisable, as the insides were slightly chewy and too soft on the first batch.
I also added raw coconut finely chopped into the last batch I made (got the coconut for 5p in the reduced section of the supermarket) and this turned out really well! I added it in at the same time as the sugar.

Deeanor

1st Nov, 2015

The best tip that I have had for scones was from a top TV chef. Heat the cooking tray in the oven for 10 mins before adding the scones, helps them rise beautifully.

Hannah_Needham

26th Jul, 2014

5.05

This is an absolutely fantastic recipe for amazing tasting scones. The only thing I would add is that I usually end up leaving them in the oven for a little longer, maybe 15 mins rather than 10. It just gives them an all round lovely golden colour and the bottoms are nice a brown.

Reader offer: £10 off + 2 free craft beers

Skills & know how

As well as helping you decide what to cook we can also help you to cook it. From tips on cookery techniques to facts and information about health and nutrition, we’ve a wealth of foodie know how for you to explore.

About BBC Good Food

We’re all about good recipes, and about quality home cooking that everyone can enjoy. Whether you’re looking for some healthy inspiration or learning how to cook a decadent dessert, we’ve trustworthy guidance for all your foodie needs.

Our recipes

All our recipes are tested thoroughly by us to make sure they’re suitable for your kitchen at home. We know many of you are concerned about healthy eating, so we send them to a qualified nutritionist for thorough analysis too.

This website is made by BBC Worldwide.

BBC Worldwide is a commercial company that is owned by the BBC (and just the BBC). No money from the licence fee was used to create this page. The profits we make from it go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund great new BBC programmes.